“This month, chip giant Intel introduced a new generation of processors and chips that it claims can dramatically improve something important to almost all users of light laptops: battery life. In fact, it claims these chips, called the 4th Generation Core processors, can boost battery life by 50% while actually improving graphics performance. Intel says the new chips are the first it has designed specifically for the slim, light laptops Windows PC makers call Ultrabooks and Apple calls its MacBook Air line,” Walt Mossberg writes for The Wall Street Journal.
“In my tests, I was able to largely confirm Intel’s battery-life claims. This was especially true of the 13-inch MacBook Air I evaluated, whose battery life in my test jumped 65% from my last test of the machine, even though it hasn’t been significantly redesigned, except for the inclusion of the new Intel chips, faster Wi-Fi and solid-state storage and a slightly more potent battery,” Mossberg writes. “It has become a computer capable of all-day use when performing typical tasks, even though its dimensions and 3-pound weight are unchanged.”
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Mossberg writes, “Out of the box, the 2.34-pound Sony delivers significantly less battery life than the Air, but with an optional second battery that clips to the underside of the machine, its battery life roughly doubles, while its weight grows to be about the same as that of the Air… Apple, which unlike Sony controls its own operating system, said it also made many tiny software tweaks that reduced power usage without sacrificing performance… In my tests, the Air lasted an amazing 10 hours and 14 minutes, the longest any single-battery laptop I’ve reviewed has ever gone and about what an iPad gets. In more normal use, with power-saving turned on and the screen at 75% brightness, I estimate you could get well over 11 hours, nearing the company’s 12-hour boast.”
Read more in the full article here.
Related articles:
TIME Magazine reviews Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Air: Pushes battery life to new, productivity-changing heights – June 19, 2013
ZDNet reviews Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Air: The new standard for laptops, a stunning achievement – June 14, 2013
PC Magazine reviews Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Air: Astonishing, astounding; Editors’ Choice – June 14, 2013
Engadget reviews Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Air: Stunning 12+ hour battery life – June 13, 2013
Hands-on with Apple’s new MacBook Air: True all-day battery life – June 13, 2013
Why the MacBook Air didn’t get a Retina display – June 12, 2013
Apple brings all day battery life to MacBook Air – June 10, 2013
Rundown of battery life (courtesy of TIME):
“PCMag.com: 15 hours, 33 minutes
CNet: 14 hours (in a video-playback test)
The Verge: 13 hours and 29 minutes
Engadget: 12 hours, 51 minutes
Laptop: 10 hours, 53 minutes”
TIME: “I got around eight to ten hours before it flirted with zero percent.”
Mossberg/WSJ: 10 hours, 14 minutes
I wonder how different their tests are.
Mossberg won’t just say the MacBook air is a superior machine, he has to explain how a Sony could be almost as good if you shackled it with an awkward battery pack.
As if that makes the Sony equivalent.
What a biased ass.
He’s such a puppet. 😎
Mossberg generally shows a high-Apple bias. I wouldn’t get down on him too much.
He’s changed dramatically over the last few years. Apple doesn’t advertise in the WSJ enough compared to other tech companies.
I just installed Mavericks on my new 2013 Macbook Air and it dramatically improved the battery life even more. Went for 10hrs to 12:40min.
11″ or 13″ ?
Massberg is lame… he seems to have a negative apple slant these days and I don’t or trust everything he has to say – though this article about battery seems true – just don’t like how he always brings up apple prices compared to a crappy windows machines and doesn’t get the wintax.
How does he get 10 hours while the first reviews out got over 12 hours?